Are you thinking of turning off the lights on a social media networks?
No business wants to keep on wasting precious time and resources on a social media marketing strategy that’s just not providing the results they need. However, how would you know the right time to actually call it quits or are you simply not trying hard enough? No doubt you’ve heard so called experts say it all too many times that your business needs to be on as many social networks as possible which is just wrong!
Now it’s certainly true that online businesses need to try out a number of social platforms but that’s just so you can figures which ones actually suits your business needs best. You also have to ensure that you are keeping track of results and that it actually delivers the results needed. Whether you are wondering if a particular social network is really worth your while or perhaps you are thinking of pulling the plug, there are a couple of things you need to consider.
Fixed Goals and metrics for your social media networks marketing campaign
Think about it – how would you know for sure if all your efforts on certain social networks is actually worth it if you don’t have any fixed goals and metrics in mind? What results do you really want to get out of it? Knowing all of these things mean the difference between a business that is clueless about how they are doing and one that is out to provide concrete proof of success in their business efforts.
Here are a couple of goals and metrics that businesses need to keep in mind before deciding to pull the plug on a certain social marketing platform:
- How much traffic are you getting? If your business is relatively new to inbound marketing, a great aim to start with is to drive as much traffic to your business website as possible via whatever social network your business is active in. Let’s face it – you won’t have any luck acquiring leads and sales if no one is actually visiting your website.
- How much leads and sales are you getting? It’s an important question that every business needs to ask themselves. After all, you wish to know for certain that all your efforts and investments are actually paying off right? By paying off we mean good leads and prospects from social media networks leaving you contact information that businesses can follow through.
- How much reach is your social media strategy providing? This is certainly important for businesses that wish to grow and expand their business. Think about it – if you are marketing to the same people over and over again without attracting new ones that you can convert, your traffic and leads are bound to dwindle in time.
- How much engagement are you getting? If you want your prospects to become aware of your business, it’s certainly something that businesses need to focus on. Are people talking about your products or services on social networks? Social media is a great way to get people to refer your business but only with the right amount of engagement through likes, shares, comments and conversations.
- Are your customers and prospects happy with your business? Are the sentiments that they are mostly expressing via your chosen social network mostly positive or negative? Keep track of any negative mentions about your business and do what you can to lessen it.
Now keep in mind that social networks and the results that they provide as a marketing resource tend to differ. Set your metrics and goals accordingly – what works for one business may not necessarily work on yours and all that businesses can do is determine which shoe fits.
Which social media platform is right for you?
Let’s say that you’ve ultimately decided that a certain social network isn’t really worth your while especially if you are not seeing good results for quite some time. Don’t be so quick to turn off the lights on a social network though without giving it a fair amount of experimentation.
Experiment with various types of content to see what actually works. Again social media platforms are different and results are bound to vary from one network to another. For instance you could get a lot of traffic from Facebook but not much conversions or lower traffic on LinkedIn but better and more qualified leads. It’s up to you to determine what social media strategy works best for your business!
So there you have it – a couple of important things to consider before ultimately turning off the lights on a social network. You don’t have to be on every social network – just a few ones that suits your strategies best and you could focus on. Just as it is with a lot of things in life, its important not to give up too easily but knowing the right time to cut your losses and knowing that a certain social network just isn’t for you is just as important!
Did you ever have to drop a social media network from your online marketing strategy and how did you come to such a decision?
